Home Page link

Flying ants or termites?

Home| Search | About
Login Password
Register Now! Lost Password?

Home Repair - - If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Otherwise look here. 

Page 3 of 4       < 1 2 3 > last >> Bookmark this page:  YahooMyWeb Yahoo!  Google Google  Windows Live Favorites Windows Live  del.icio.us del.icio.us  digg digg  Add to Netscape Netscape
Subject Author Date
Flying ants or termites? Walter Cohen 04-12-2008
If you were  Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
Posted by Walter Cohen on April 12, 2008, 12:51 pm
Actually, after seeing pictures of both and grabbing a few specimens it
looks like swarming termites. They have 4 exact same length wings, straight
abdomen (not thin like ant), straight antennae.

Oh well, time to get to work (actually time to get a professional out here).

W
>>
>> Are they large, Carpenter ants can do alot of damage, they dont spread
>> like termites but they ruin wood like termites.
>
> No, they spread faster than termites. The OP is most likely seeing
> carpenter ants.
>
> Carpenter ants, IME, run straight for the highest (and warmest) point
> in the house, nest there and eat their way down.
>
> Subterranean termites are not nearly so ambitious. They tend to
> remain close to the ground and eat their way up, usually damaging
> wooden foundation structure.
>
> The problem with both is that not seeing them <> not having them.
>
> The big problem with eradicating carpenter ants is that the PCO
> rarely, if ever, treats the highest point of the structure where the
> first nest is usually established.
>
> They detect and avoid the applied pesticide so the homeowner doesn't
> see them and thinks they're "cured".
>
> The typical PCO very often just stresses the colony so it splits into
> 2 ensuring the potential of future business. Not necessarily by ill
> intent, just ignorance.
> -----
>
> - gpsman


Posted by gpsman on April 12, 2008, 1:12 pm
> Actually, after seeing pictures of both and grabbing a few specimens it
> looks like swarming termites. They have 4 exact same length wings, straight
> abdomen (not thin like ant), straight antennae.

They're not hard to tell apart.

> Oh well, time to get to work (actually time to get a professional out here).

Seeing "swarms" is not evidence of infestation. Stick with your PCO
and make them show you mud tunnels if they suggest treatment.

And, mud tunnels alone are not "proof" of infestation. They could be
old and/or abandoned and/or previously treated by a former owner.
-----

- gpsman

Posted by Norminn on April 12, 2008, 2:11 pm
gpsman wrote:

>
>
>>Actually, after seeing pictures of both and grabbing a few specimens it
>>looks like swarming termites. They have 4 exact same length wings, straight
>>abdomen (not thin like ant), straight antennae.
>>
>>
>
>They're not hard to tell apart.
>
>
>
>>Oh well, time to get to work (actually time to get a professional out here).
>>
>>
>
>Seeing "swarms" is not evidence of infestation. Stick with your PCO
>and make them show you mud tunnels if they suggest treatment.
>
>
>
Mud tunnels are formed only by subterranean termites. "Dry wood" or
"damp wood" termites don't build them.
Termites avoid daylight, the purpose of building tubes.

>And, mud tunnels alone are not "proof" of infestation. They could be
>old and/or abandoned and/or previously treated by a former owner.
> -----
>
>- gpsman
>
>

Posted by dpb on April 12, 2008, 2:15 pm
gpsman wrote:
...
> Seeing "swarms" is not evidence of infestation. Stick with your PCO
> and make them show you mud tunnels if they suggest treatment.
>
> And, mud tunnels alone are not "proof" of infestation. They could be
> old and/or abandoned and/or previously treated by a former owner.
...

Seeing swarms may not be absolutely conclusive, but _inside_ as OP says
it's pretty doggone likely to indicate a fairly sizable infestation
(amhikt :( ).

Check for pinholes in the sheetrock around the area you see them
congregating in--there's a good chance they are in the walls
behind/around the windows and they will burrow out through the sheetrock
to swarm (again, amhikt)...

There undoubtedly are tunnels, but they may be in places you can't get
to to find them (like the insides of block walls, etc.).

--

--

Posted by Frank on April 12, 2008, 12:33 pm
Walter Cohen wrote:
> How do I tell the difference between flying/winged ants and
> flying/winged termites?
> I have what look like winged ants (black bodies with long wings) that
> have been congregating on the inside of a window sill in my home. There
> are numerous discarded wings along the floor too.
>
> Any help is appreciated.
> Walter

I had same problem years ago. They were flying ants. Flying ants look
like ants whereas termites have a broad waist vs. ants which are
segmented. I had to spray area in garage floor where the ants were
coming from.

Next door neighbor had termites and I got a good look at them as they
were infesting wood near my house. I put stakes around house and they
never came in. Neighbor, however, had wood damage and they had to bait
to kill the colony which was outside.

Page 3 of 4       < 1 2 3 > last >>
Similar ThreadsPosted
ants or termites? November 10, 2005, 11:55 am
Ants & Termites July 8, 2006, 3:45 pm
shingle tabs flying off! April 17, 2007, 7:15 pm
My old house wiring -- Sparks flying, plugs dying, computer being destroyed? December 28, 2006, 3:20 pm
Ants, Lots of Ants July 24, 2006, 10:24 am
How to get rid of termites May 10, 2006, 5:38 pm
termites May 14, 2006, 5:07 pm
Termites April 20, 2007, 2:58 pm
termites--when to fumigate September 19, 2005, 5:43 am
Termites - I am curious December 19, 2005, 8:43 am

Contact Us | Privacy Policy

XML SitemapXML Sitemap